Nancy Lawson

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife

The Humane Gardener

taylor miles hopkins

…we learn that animals are out to get us, that plants are messy, that humans reluctant to unleash weapons of mass destruction on denizens of the natural world—especially insects—are freaks of nature themselves.

Debates over the merits of creating backyard habitat sometimes take a detour to belligerent diatribes about the impossibility of restoring nature to some previously pristine state. Such discussions are an unfortunate distraction…By observing how natural landscapes evolve, we can build on still viable vestiges of disturbed ecologies…to create new habitat where much has been lost.

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